FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A district attorney announced that two people were sentenced for their connection to running a three-year financial elder abuse scheme that targeted a vulnerable Fresno County man and led to the theft of more than $800,000.
52-year-old Gina Denise Abercrombie of Pleasanton and 52-year-old Justin Linder Teel of Friant were sentenced for financial elder abuse scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $800,000, along with the fraudulent acquisition of interests in property worth millions of dollars.
Both were convicted after a three month jury trial.
The victim was identified as 74 year-old Randall Jon Hansen of Sanger.
Prosecutors said the scheme began after the unexpected death of Hansen’s wife in 2017, when he was experiencing significant health challenges.
Abercrombie and Teel exploited his grief and vulnerability to gain increasing control over his finances, estate planning and valuable real estate holdings, according to the district attorney’s office.
Evidence presented at trial showed Hansen owned numerous properties, including Sherwood Forest Mobile Home Park, a residence in Aptos, a home in Bass Lake, an almond ranch and other real estate, along with financial accounts collectively valued at more than $2.4 million.
Over about three years, Abercrombie, described as Hansen’s stepdaughter, and Teel siphoned more than $800,000 from Hansen’s financial accounts while attempting to take control of his assets.
Investigators reported finding forged documents, fraudulent deeds and unauthorized financial transactions, among other evidence of what they described as a sustained and sophisticated scheme.
Among the acts outlined by prosecutors, the defendants incorporated Sherwood Forest Mobile Home Park without Hansen’s knowledge and falsely identified Abercrombie as its owner.
They also fraudulently obtained title to Hansen’s Aptos residence, valued at about $3 million, by misrepresenting legal documents as refinancing paperwork when the documents transferred ownership of the property to Abercrombie, the district attorney’s office said.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim’s daughter, Stacy Hansen Dovali, described the impact on her father and family. “These crimes don’t just take money. They took away trust, dignity, peace, and, in our case, took away my Dad,” Dovali said. She also told the court, “My father deserved kindness. Instead, he was betrayed when he needed protection the most.”
A restitution hearing to determine the financial losses owed to the victim’s estate is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2026.
The jury found both guilty of one felony count of financial elder abuse and two felony counts of theft by false pretenses.
At sentencing, a district attorney ordered Abercrombie to serve five years of formal probation and 365 days in the Fresno County Jail.
He also imposed a 10-year criminal protective order prohibiting contact with the victim’s daughter.
Teel was sentenced to three years in state prison.
The court also found Abercrombie induced others to participate in the crimes.
Teel had previously served a prison term stemming from convictions for mortgage fraud, perjury and welfare fraud.